Orissa HC disposes of PIL after govt cancels appointment of Utkal's in-charge V-C
Filed by high court lawyer and alumnus of Utkal University Prabir Kumar Das, the PIL had questioned the legality of the May 27 appointment, citing non-compliance with Section 6(10) of the Odisha Universities Act, 1989. Das contended that the procedure for appointing an acting V-C had not been followed.
When the matter was taken up by the division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MR Pathak, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya informed the court that the Chancellor of the university - the Governor of Odisha - had on July 22 issued an order cancelling the appointment of Prof Dandapat, a senior professor from the Biotechnology department.
Acharya submitted that the cancellation was in line with the law and further stated that the state cabinet had cleared a proposal to amend the relevant provisions of the Odisha Universities Act through an ordinance.
The proposed amendment, aimed at ensuring smoother university administration, would allow for the appointment of any qualified individual - not just sitting V-Cs - to the position of acting V-C, addressing the challenges of one person managing two universities simultaneously.
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